Psychological factor alters fertility hormones and contributes to male infertility. Anxiety and depression are common manifestations of psychological distress. Cytochrome P-4501A1 (CYP1A1) metabolizes xenobiotics and fertility hormones that influence male fertility. The effect of CYP1A1 polymorphism on male fertility has remained controversial. The present study was designed to assess the effect of psychological distress and CYP1A1 polymorphisms and their interactions on parameters of seminal analysis.Eighty male partners of infertile couples were evaluated for level of distress using Hospital anxiety and depression score (HADS) questionnaire. As per WHO guidelines (2010), sperm count, motility and morphology were assessed and subjects were classified as (a) subjects having normal sperm characteristics and (b) subjects having abnormal sperm characteristics. CYP1A1 polymorphisms were detected by ASO-PCR.The significant odd's ratio indicates that psychological distress (OR:10.54; CI:3.72-29.84; P < 0.001), CYP1A1*4(OR:10.31; CI:3.01-35.24; P < 0.001) and CYP1A1*2C (OR:7.01; CI:1.78-27.56; P = 0.002) polymorphisms are risk factors for the development of abnormal sperm characteristics in male subjects. Data analysis with two way ANOVA shows that psychological distress, CYP1A1*4 and CYP1A1*2C polymorphisms significantly affect but do not interact among them to influence sperm parameters.It is concluded that CYP1A1 gene polymorphisms and psychological distress act independently but do not interact with each other in pathogenesis of male infertility.
Objectives: Medical teaching requires introduction of new teaching methods to cover the vast curriculum in stipulated time. Apart from conventional teaching, newer teaching learning methods such as video clippings, problem-based learning (PBL), seminars, early exposure to patients, hospital laboratory visits, debates, quiz, and group discussions need to be introduced. The study was conducted to gauge the student’s perception regarding the teaching methodology adopted by the department of Biochemistry for the 1 st year MBBS students. Along with this, feedback was also taken to assess the student’s views on their present assessment system as well as on various aspects of the current MBBS curriculum and on their relationship with their teachers. Materials and Methods: This was an observational study conducted in the department of Biochemistry and the data were collected using a pre-designed questionnaire from the 1 st year MBBS students after completion of the 1st year Biochemistry course. Results: The questionnaire evaluated different teaching methods for various topics in Biochemistry. Among 243 students included in the study, didactic lecture was preferred by 80 students for endocrinology and 82 for cancer biology topics. Debate was preferred for the topic of nutrition ( n = 82). Ninety-one students chose case-based learning for learning clinical Biochemistry. Video-based learning was preferred for the topic of molecular biology by 80 students. Conclusion: Students prefer different combinations of teaching learning method for better understanding of the subject. Early clinical exposure and effective tutorial sessions will definitely improve the learning gain among pre-clinical students.
There is a decline in the levels of protein S during pregnancy due to an increase in its binding protein. Thus, protein S deficiency increases the risk of thrombosis and may lead to poor pregnancy outcomes. In the setting of a hypercoagulable state during pregnancy, it is difficult to interpret protein S levels when measured with other tests of thrombophilia in pregnancy. The rate of developing thrombotic events is higher in those pregnant females with a deficiency of any natural anticoagulant like protein S. We report the case of a recently delivered female with multiple intracranial hemorrhages and cerebral venous thrombosis associated with protein S deficiency. This case highlights the need to extensively identify all risk factors of thrombosis in newly delivered females for the early and effective management of postpartum thrombosis.
One of the emerging treatment strategies for cancer particularly for haematological malignancies is natural killer (NK) cell therapy. However, the availability of a best approach to maximize NK cell anticancer potential is still awaited. It is well established that cytokine-induced memory-like NK cells have the potential to differentiate after a short period of preactivation with interleukins-IL-12, IL-15, and IL-18 and exhibit increased responses to cytokine or activating receptor restimulation for weeks to months after preactivation. We demonstrated that NK cells differentiated from CD34+ cells isolated from cord blood show increased antitumor potential in vitro against different cancer cells. Using flow cytometry, we found that NK cells were able to induce apoptosis in cancer cells in vitro. We further analysed surviving gene expression by quantitative real time PCR and reported that NK cells cause down regulation of survivin gene expression in tumor cells. Therefore, NK cell therapy represents a promising immunotherapy for cancers like AML and other haematological malignancies. It concluded that NK cells can be differentiated from CD34+ cells isolated from cord blood ,are able to induce apoptosis and induce increased antitumor potential in vitro against different cancer cells besides cause downregulation of survivin gene expression in tumor cells. Therefore, NK cell therapy represents a promising immunotherapy for different cancer types and haematological malignancies. Furthers studies are necessary to confir
Magnesium is the second-most common intracellular cation after calcium with 99% of total body magnesium distributed intracellularly in bones, muscles, and soft tissues. Only 1% of total body magnesium is present extracellularly that contributes to the normal serum magnesium concentration of 1.8–2.6 mg/dL. Recently, many studies have focused on the role of magnesium homeostasis and human health. Diabetes and hypertension are the leading causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and the significance of magnesium in CKD has been astonishing in medical practice. In this study, we investigated the serum levels of magnesium and its prevalence at different stages of CKD. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted over a period of 2 months. Serum magnesium levels were analysed in 224 patients with CKD and were grouped into five stages of CKD according to the guidelines of the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) based on glomerular filtration rate. Laboratory data of patients was analysed using the IBM SPSS V23 software (Chicago, USA) for statistical relationship between serum magnesium levels and stages of CKD in patients with CKD. Mean serum magnesium level of the study population was 2.21 ± 0.75 mg/dL; 50.9% of the patients were normomagnesemic (normal level of magnesium ions in the blood), followed by 30.4% hypomagnesemic and 20.5%, hypermagnesemic. CKD was more common in males (63.4%), compared to females (36.6%). Mean age of patients in G5 stage was significantly higher than in G3a, G3b, and G4 stages (P = 0.001). A progressive decline in renal function and retention of uraemic solutes was observed with progression of CKD. Multiple factors, both inherited or acquired, such as diuretics and alcohol, are implicated in controlling serum magnesium levels. Magnesium deficiency leads to 2.12-fold higher risk of progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
CONTEXT: High prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) has been reported in the pediatric population from the different parts of the country. However, there is a lacuna of data on the Vitamin D status of children from the north-eastern part of the country.AIMS: The aim of this study is to assess the serum Vitamin D level and also to find out the prevalence of VDD among children and adolescents in Agartala, a major city in North-east India.SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Cross-sectional descriptive study.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The serum 25 (OH) D levels of 258 children from age 1 to below 18 years, attending the outpatient clinics of the hospital were analyzed from June 2020 to June 2021.STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data being nonparametric was presented as median and inter quartile range. The group differences were computed by the Mann–Whitney U-test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTS: Sixty percentage of the study population had insufficient levels of Vitamin D, with girls having significantly lower levels of serum Vitamin D. Only 27% of adolescents had optimum level of serum Vitamin D.CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of Vitamin D insufficiency and VDD was found among the children living in the urban and sub urban areas of Agartala city in North-east India.
Owing to its structural similarity with plasminogen, lipoprotein (a) is a thrombogenic and atherogenic molecule. Several case-control and prospective studies done on Indian subjects have shown lipoprotein (a) as an independent risk factor for stroke. Due to lack of data from the north eastern part of the country, this case control study was done with the aim of finding an association and also to estimate the serum levels of lipoprotein (a) in patients with acute stroke. Lp(a) was quantified by immunoturbidiometric method. The serum lipoprotein (a) levels were significantly elevated (p< 0.0001) in cases (57.01 + 5.99 mg/dl) as compared to controls(17.75 + 6.61mg/dl). Elevated Lp(a) is a risk factor for stroke and might play an important role in the genesis of cerebrovascular thrombosis. It may be appropriate to assess lipoprotein(a) levels in Indians along with routine lipid profile testing in subjects with other risk factors.
Objective: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with abnormal lipid profile and high cardiovascular risk. There is an increased prevalence of coronary artery disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in India. Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor 1(OLR1), a cell surface endocytosis receptor recognize, internalize and degrade oxidized LDL (oxLDL) in vascular endothelium and plays a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The aim was to explore the association of OLR1 gene polymorphism and measure the serum levels of ox-LDL in patients with MetS in Indian population. Materials and Methods: Forty cases fulfilling the IDF diagnostic criteria for MetS and 40 healthy controls having similar age and sex ratio were genotyped for OLR1 gene (SNP: IVS4–73C>T , rs3736234) by RFLP-PCR. Serum ox-LDL was estimated by ELISA.Their BP, BMI and waist circumference were measured. Fasting Plasma glucose, Serum Triglyceride and HDL-C were measured. Results: Serum oxLDL was significantly higher in MetS cases as compared to controls (p < 0.0001). Odds ratio of T allele of above OLR1 SNP among subjects with MetS was 14.79 (95%CI: 1.80-121.2, p < 0.05). But no association was found between the SNP and serum ox-LDL levels. People having TT allele had higher BMI compared to those having CC allele. Conclusion: Ox LDL, being more atherogenic might contribute in the pathogenesis of MetS. The intronic SNP: IVS4-73 C>T of OLR1 gene increases the risk of developing MetS by a yet unknown mechanism that is independent of rise in ox-LDL. This OLR1 SNP probably influences BMI.
BACKGROUND: Owing to its popularity and ubiquity, multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are now a commonly used assessment means used in medical education. However, the gender variability in the performance of students in MCQ-based examinations has been a notable topic of exploration in educational research. AIM: To discern if there are any gender-based differences in the performance as well as the risk-taking tendency in MCQ-based assessment among the 1st year medical students in Biochemistry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This observational study was carried out on 237 1st year MBBS students as an end-of-module assessment test on “Miscellaneous topics in Biochemistry.” Six different types of formats of MCQs: single best response, multiple responses, true and false, reason assertion, pictorial, and matching types were administered to them. The performances of the students were compared among the different types of MCQs after stratifying the students according to gender and academic standing. The percentages of students who attempted and who correctly marked a particular type of MCQ were compared using appropriate statistical tests. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in the pattern of scoring, attempt, or skipped questions in between the two genders in any of the six types of MCQs. The difference was observed in the type of MCQ formats preferred and the risk aversion pattern between the two genders. CONCLUSION: To affirm the gender neutrality and fairness of MCQ-based examinations, all the formats of MCQs must be administered in MCQ-based assessments.
The measurement of creatine kinase muscle brain (CK-MB) by the method of immunoinhibition has various drawbacks, which are posing as a hindrance in its role as a sensitive diagnostic indicator. A 2-month-old infant presented with symptoms of difficulty in breathing and cough. A chest X-ray done showed an incidental finding of a cardiac anomaly, and ultrasonography cranium showed a well-defined cystic lesion seen in the frontal horn of the bilateral lateral ventricle and signs of a resolving hemorrhage. The CK-MB level (761U/L) was greatly exceeding the CK levels (427U/L). This raise in CK-MB may be due to the presence of CK-BB or macro-CK in the plasma. Electrophoresis of the CK enzyme is, therefore, the best way to resolve the shortcomings of immunoinhibition. Macro-CK and CK-BB should hence also be kept in mind when the physician makes a diagnosis on the basis of such a laboratory report.
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